Measurement of the deposit formation during pneumatic transport of PMMA powder

Deposit formation poses severe hazards and negatively affects the functionality of pneumatic powder transport systems. A novel test-rig was developed for the measurement of the deposition of polymethylmethacrylate powder in a horizontal, turbulent flow through a duct of a square cross-section. The parameters under investigation are the particles’ size, shape, and mass flow rate, the conveying air’s Reynolds number, relative humidity, and temperature, and the duct material. A continuous weighing method is used to quantify the particle deposition and resuspension rate and a Faraday cup is positioned at the duct outlet to measure the specific powder charge. For the considered conditions, the air humidity exhibits a strong influence, especially on the smallest particles. For small particles, a high charge even leads to deposition at the ceiling of the PC duct. Larger particles tend to settle at the center of the duct and smaller ones preferably at its corner.     

Particle dispersion in turbulent sedimentary duct flows

A simplified geometric model of a circular tube with a sedimentary layer is proposed and named as sedimentary duct. Based on h = 1/4d (h is the thickness of sedimentary layer and d is the pipe diameter), the flow field (Re = 40000) and particle distribution (5, 10, 50 μm and St = 0.6, 2.5, 63) in the sedimentary duct are simulated using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) coupled with Lagrange Particle Tracking (LPT) method. As a result, four streamwise eddies are found in the sedimentary duct as distributed in pairs near the corner. The eddy center near ceiling is found to be farther from the corner than that from the floor. Small particles (5 μm, St = 0.6) tend to move with the secondary flow as their upward movements distribute in both sides. Their centripetal movement is near the floor and preferential distribution near the top. For large particles (50 μm, St = 63), it is the drag force that dominates their motion while for medium particles (10 μm, St = 2.5) lift force may have significant influence on their motion. This study is the first work to investigate the characteristics of particle behavior in turbulent sedimentary duct flows.     

Numerical study to predict the particle deposition under the influence of operating forces on a tilted surface in the turbulent flow

This study uses a v2-f turbulence model with a two-phase Eulerian approach. The v2-f model can accurately calculate the near wall fluctuations in y-direction, which mainly represent the anisotropic nature of turbulent flow. The model performance is examined by comparing the rate of particle deposition on a vertical surface with the experimental and numerical data in a turbulent channel flow available in the literature. The effects of lift, turbophoretic, electrostatic and Brownian forces together with turbulent diffusion are examined on the particle deposition rate. The influence of the tilt angle and surface roughness on the particle deposition rate were investigated. The results show that, using the v2-f model predicts the rate of deposition with reasonable accuracy. It is observed that in high relaxation time the effect of lift force on the particle deposition is very important. It is also indicated that decreasing the tilt angle from 90° to 0° enhances the deposition rate especially for large size particles. Furthermore, the results show that increasing the Reynolds number at a specific tilt angle decreases the rate of particle deposition and the tilt angle has insignificant impact on the particle deposition rate in high shear velocity or high Reynolds number.     

Numerical comparison of airborne particles deposition and dispersion in radiator and floor heating systems

Many studies have been shown the advantage of low-energy heating systems, such as floor heating system in comparison with high-energy consuming systems, such as radiator heating system. The adoption of these energy-efficient heating systems still requires the provision of acceptable indoor air quality. In this research, three-dimensional comparison of deposition and dispersion of airborne particles in two radiator and floor heating systems is investigated numerically by an Eulerian–Lagrangian method. In an attempt to provide such data, the deposition of solid particles ranging from 0.3 to 10 μm is calculated and the main goal is to survey the removal efficiency of these two heating systems. The model validation is performed through result comparisons with published data from literatures. The results indicate that deposition ratio of particles is higher in radiator heating system. Furthermore, the numerical results show that the floor and radiator heating systems trend to deposit the suspended particles on the ceiling and on the floor, respectively.     

Aerosol particle deposition and distribution in bifurcating ventilation ducts

The quantitative information gained from detailed studies of particle deposition in ducts is important, for example, to evaluate human exposure to particles within buildings, implement cleaning strategies for ventilation ducts and also understand particulate deposition in the respiratory tree. For this purpose, an experimental study for aerosol particles of diameters ranging from 8.1 to 23.2 microm was conducted in a curved bifurcating ventilation duct. At the bend segment of the duct, the particle size, bend angle, curvature ratio and Reynolds number affect aerosol deposition significantly. On the other hand, tests conducted on the bifurcating segments show that deposition increases with particle size and Reynolds number. Accumulation of particles occurs mainly around the bend segment and the ridge of carina of the bifurcation. In all segments of the duct models, particle deposition is found to be enhanced with increasing humidity which increases from 66 to 95% (i.e., close the saturation). A physical interpretation of the results obtained is also presented.     

Effects of particle size and distribution on the mechanical properties of SiC reinforced Al-Cu alloy composites

This paper studied the combined effects of particle size and distribution on the mechanical properties of the SiC particle reinforced Al-Cu alloy composites. It has been shown that small ratio between matrix/reinforcement particle sizes resulted in more uniform distribution of the SiC particles in the matrix. The SiC particles distributed more uniformly in the matrix with increasing in mixing time. It has also been shown that homogenous distribution of the SiC particles resulted in higher yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation. Yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the composite reinforced by 4.7 μm sized SiC particles are higher than those of composite reinforced by 77 μm sized SiC particles, while the elongation shows opposite trend with yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. Fracture surface observations showed that the dominant fracture mechanism of the composites with small SiC particle size (4.7 μm) is ductile fracture of the matrix, accompanied by the “pull-out” of the particles from the matrix, while the dominant fracture mechanism of the composites with large SiC particle size (77 μm) is ductile fracture of the matrix, accompanied by the SiC particle fracture.     

WALL DEPOSITION OF SMALL SUSPENDED PARTICLES IN A TURBULENT CHANNEL FLOW

The diffusion of small suspended particles in a turbulent channel flow is studied by solving the transport advection-diffusion equation. The mean flowfield in the channel is simulated using a two-equation k-ε turbulence model. Deposition velocity is evaluated at different sections in the channel for different particle sizes and flow Reynolds numbers. The effects of turbulence dispersion and Brownian diffusion on particle deposition velocity are discussed. The variation of particle deposition velocity with particle diameter, density and flow Reynolds number are analyzed. The wall deposition velocities for different size particles are compared with those obtained by other models.     

CONTRIBUTIONS OF ROAD DUST RESUSPENSION TO THE AIRBORNE PARTICLE CONCENTRATIONS IN TAIPEI

The high concentrations of airborne particles have been one of the main air pollution problems in Taipei, Taiwan. In this study, the possible sources of airborne particles were investigated using concentration profile and chemical composition. The vertical concentration profile of TSP was measured at 1.5 m, 11 m, and 38 m above ground. The concentrations of TSP at 1.5 m above ground are always greater than 300 µg/m³; and even up to 1230 µg/m³, while those at 11 m above ground are only half of these values. The concentrations at 38 m above ground are only about half of those at 11 m above ground. Similar concentration profiles are found for Mg, Ca, Pb, Fe, and Zn measured and the enrichment factors with respect to the composition of road dust are generally less than 3. Therefore, there is a not upward flux of airborne particles from ground. The net upward fluxes are estimated to be about 100 ton/yr/km¹ from the vertical concentrations profiles and particle size distributions. The particle resuspension rates due to wind flow from a Teflon filter were also determined at the same time. The resuspension rates of particles by wind were found to be on the order of 10^-6 to 10^-5sec^-1. These particle resuspension fluxes are much smaller than those calculated by concentration profile. Other mechanisms, e.g. traffic-induced resuspension, are needed to be included in further study.     

Particle shape effects on particle size measurement for crushed waste glass

Recently, narrow particle size distributions, as measured by sieve analysis, of crushed waste glass were used as a replacement for Portland cement in concrete. Their chemical reactivity was successfully studied as a function of this measure of particle size. Differences between sieve analysis and laser diffraction measures of particle size prompted this current re-analysis. Extremely careful sieving was used to divide the crushed waste glass particles into 0–25 μm, 25–38 μm, and 63–75 μm sieve size ranges, but laser diffraction did not agree with these particle size cutoffs. We use these same materials to try and understand the discrepancies between particle size as measured by laser diffraction and sieve analysis by using X-ray computed tomography followed by spherical harmonic analysis to measure the three-dimensional particle shape and size, as well as the length (L), width (W), and thickness (T) of each particle. We show how laser diffraction and X-ray CT results, along with sieve analyses, can be quantitatively related for these crushed waste glass particles in the approximate size ranges considered. In contrast to previous speculation, the particle width W does not have to correspond closely to the sieve opening – the correspondence depends on overall particle shape. In addition, we demonstrate how many particles are needed to analyze in order to achieve stable averages and distributions of the L/W, W/T, and L/T aspect ratios, which approximately define particle shape. These results have implications for how particle size is measured and interpreted in the cement and concrete and other industries.     

Effect of particle spatial distribution on particle deposition in ventilation rooms

We used simulations and experimental tests to investigate indoor particle deposition during four commonly used ventilation modes, including ceiling supply, side-up supply, side-down supply and bottom supply. We used a condensation monodisperse aerosol generator to generate fine diethylhexyl sebacate (DEHS) particles of different sizes along with two optical particle counters that measured particle concentration at the exhaust opening and inside a three-dimensional ventilated test room. We then simulated particle deposition using the same ventilation modes with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. Our simulated results indicate that mean deposition velocity/rate for particles 0.5–10 μm (aerodynamic diameter) is not affected by different ventilation modes. However, both our experimental and simulated results indicate that the deposition loss factor, a parameter defined based on mass balance principle to reflect the influence of particle distribution on deposited particle quantity, differ significantly by ventilation mode. This indicates that ventilation plays an important role in determining particle deposition due to the apparent differences in the spatial distribution of particles. The particle loss factor during ventilation modes characterized by upward air flow in the room is smaller than that of mixing ventilation; however this trend was strongly influenced by the relative location of the inlets, outlets and aerosol source.     

Predicting the Particle Deposition Characteristics Using a Modified Eulerian Method on a Tilted Surface in the Turbulent Flow

This study uses a v2-f turbulence model with a two phase Eulerian approach. The v2-f model can accurately calculate the near wall fluctuationsm which mainly represent the nonisotropic nature of turbulent flow near the walls. The Eulerian method was modified based on considering the most important mechanisms in the particle deposition rate when compared to the experimental data. The model performance is examined by comparing the rate of particle deposition on a vertical surface with the experimental and numerical data in a turbulent channel flow available in the literature. The model takes into account the effects of lift, turbophoretic, electrostatic, gravitational, and Brownian forces together with turbulent diffusion on the particle deposition rate. Electrostatic forces due to mirror charging and due to charged particles under the influence of an electric field were considered. The influence of the tilt angle on the particle deposition rate was investigated. The results show that, using the modified model with v2-f model predicts the rate of deposition with reasonable accuracy. It is shown that considering the turbophoretic force as the only inertia force and neglecting the lift force, leads to reasonable accuracy in predicting particle deposition rate. It is also observed that when the mirror charging and electric field are present, the electrostatic force has the dominant effect in a wider range of particles’ size. Furthermore, the results show that increasing the Reynolds number at a given tilt angle decreases the rate of particle deposition and the tilt angle has insignificant impact on the particle deposition rate in high shear velocity or high Reynolds number.     

SiCp／Al基复合材料中增强颗粒统计特征的定量化研究

基于微观组织对SiC颗粒增强铝基复合材料中SiC颗粒的特征做统计性的定量分析,研究了SiC颗粒的形状、光滑度以及粒度等特征分布规律。结果表明：增强颗粒的形状因子在正方形（1：1）与长方形（1：2）之间,且表面光滑程度相似。粒径范围为1-12μm之间,大小分布规律可用GaussAmp函数表示,位置分布带有明显的团聚特征。根据所获得的颗粒统计特征规律建立了基于视场的胞元模型,其视场范围为295μm×190μm。颗粒的形状视作长方形,边长分别为5μm和7．5μm,颗粒的面积百分数为19．09％,颗粒呈带状分布,所划分的四个区域内颗粒的个数分别为29、126、105、25。     

On the Induced Airflow and Particle Resuspension Due to a Falling Disk

In this article, the induced airflow and the resultant particles resuspension due to a disk falling freely under the effect of gravity is studied using numerical and experimental approaches. The results showed that an axisymmetric vortex is generated on the disk tip as the disk falls and sheds after impacting the floor. While the effect of this ring vortex on the particles detachment from the floor is small, it has considerable influence on the dispersion of resuspended particles. The simulation results indicated that particles are mainly resuspended from an annular area beneath the disk tip where the generated wall shear is sufficiently high. As particles detachment is mainly controlled by the airflow velocity near the floor, the resuspension rate grows exponentially during the disk falling and drops suddenly as it impacts the floor. The particles deposition rate showed a similar trend, although its peak value occurred slightly later due to particles inertia effects. The effect of main parameters, including particle size, surface roughness, and disk specifications on the particles resuspension rate was also evaluated. The results may find applications for estimating the increase in particles concentration due to human walking, and for developing strategies for minimizing the unfavorable side effects.     

The effect of particle humidity on separation efficiency for an axial cyclone separator

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of particle humidity on the inlet particle size distribution, overall efficiency, grade efficiency and cut size diameter for an axial cyclone separator with inner diameter of 150?mm. The collection and grade efficiencies of the cyclone separator were measured by on-line method for inlet velocities, particle concentration and particle humidity in the ranges of 12–18?m/s, 30–500?mg/m³ and 8–30‰, respectively. By employing a set of fixed parameters for inlet velocity and particle concentration, the effect of particle humidity on separation efficiency was investigated. The experimental results show that the volume ratio of larger particle increases with the increasing of particle humidity due to particle agglomeration. When the inlet velocity and particle humidity remain constant, the collection and grade efficiencies improve greatly as the increasing of the particle concentration because of the particle aggregation. However, it was noticed that the grade efficiencies did not always increased with the increasing of particle humidity under the same conditions of inlet velocity and particle concentration. The trends of grade efficiency curves for different particle humidity change at the particle diameter of approximately 10?μm. The grade efficiency improves with the increasing of particle humidity when the particle diameter is larger than 10?μm, while a contrary tendency is observed when the particle diameter is smaller than 10?μm.     

Aging effects on airflow distribution and micron-particle transport and deposition in a human lung using CFD-DPM approach

Understanding the transportation and deposition (TD) of inhaled aerosol particles in human lung airways is important for health risk assessment and therapeutic efficiency of targeted drug delivery. The particle TD into a human lung depends on lung anatomy, breathing pattern, as well as particle properties. The breathing capacity and lung airway diameters can be reduced by about 10% every 10 years after the age of 50. However, the age-specific particle TD in human lungs, particularly in the aged, has not been well understood in literature. This study investigates the particle TD in the lungs of people aged 50–70 years, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A new cutting method that splits the lung model into different sections has been developed as a feasible CFD method to simulate the particle TD in G0 to G14 lung airways. The inhalation of micron scale particles with three diameters (5 μm, 10 μm and 20 μm) and a constant air flow rate in inhalation is considered. It is found that different sized particles are deposited in different generation airways. Nearly 100% of 20 μm particles are deposited in the upper lung airways (G0-G5) and no particles pass through G7. Particles can go into deeper airways as their diameter decreases. When the particle size is decreased to 5 μm, over 48% of particles can pass through G14 and enter the deeper lung airways. An increase in age causes more particles to deposit in the upper airway and fewer particles to enter the deeper airways.     

Numerical prediction of particle erosion of pipe bends

In the present study the Euler/Lagrange approach in combination with a proper turbulence model and full two-way coupling is applied for erosion estimation due to particle conveying along a horizontal to vertical pipe bend. Particle tracking considers both particle translational and rotational motion and all relevant forces such as drag, gravity/buoyancy and transverse lift due to shear and particle rotation were accounted for Laín and Sommerfeld (2012). Moreover, models for turbulent transport of the particles, collisions with rough walls and inter-particle collisions using a stochastic approach are considered Sommerfeld and Laín (2009). In this work, the different transport effects on spherical solid particle erosion in a pipe bend of a pneumatic conveying system are analysed. For describing the combined effect of cutting and deformation erosion the model of Oka et al. (2005) is used. Erosion depth was calculated for two- and four-way coupling and for mono-sized spherical glass beads as well as a size distribution of particles with the same number mean diameter (i.e. 40?μm). Additionally, particle mass loading was varied in the range from 0.3 to 1.0. The erosion model was validated on the basis of experiments by Mazumder et al. (2008) for a narrow vertical to horizontal pipe system with high conveying velocity. Then a 150?mm pipe system with 5?m horizontal pipe, pipe bend and 5?m vertical pipe with a bulk velocity of 27?m/s was considered for further analysis. As a result inter-particle collisions reduce erosion although the wall collision frequency is enhanced Sommerfeld and Laín (2015); additionally, considering a particle size distribution with the same number mean diameter as mono-sized particles yields much higher erosion depth. Finally, when particle mass loading is increased, bend erosion is reduced due to modifications of particle impact velocity and angle, although wall collision frequency grows.     

Discrete element simulation for mixing performances and power consumption in a twin-blade planetary mixer with non-cohesive particles

The present study aims to characterize the mixing performances and power consumption of a twin-blade planetary mixer with non-cohesive particles through the discrete element method (DEM). A DEM model used for simulating the particle flow and mixing kinetics of the mixer was experimentally verified. The particle velocity and mixing mechanism are elaborated quantitatively, indicating that particle mixing is realized under the combined actions of radial, circumferential and vertical circulations, and some local collisions and mergers. Increasing the absolute speed N and the speed ratio i promotes the radial circulation, while the tangential and vertical circulations are strengthened with the increase of N and the decrease of i. The mixing time required for the homogeneous state decreases, and the power consumption increases as N increases and i decreases. Thus, increasing N and decreasing i can improve the mixing performance but require more energy to reach the homogeneous state. Also, the mixing performance shows a strong correlation with the swept volume of blades, which proves that the dominant mixing mechanism of the mixer is convection.     

Computational simulation of thermally sprayed WC–Co powder

WC–Co cemented carbides are a class of hard composite materials of great technological importance. They are widely used as tool materials in a large variety of applications that have high demands on hardness and toughness, including mining, turning, cutting and milling. The HVOF (high velocity oxygen fuel) technology has been very successful in spraying wear resistant WC–Co coatings with higher density, superior bond strengths and less decarburization than many other thermal spray processes, attributed mainly to its high particle impact velocities and relatively low peak particle temperatures. The degree of decomposition and bond strength is directly related to relevant particle parameters such as velocity, temperature and state of melting or solidification. These are consecutively related to process parameters such as powder particle size distribution, carrier gas flow rate, and fuel type employed. To obtain detailed particle data important for thermal spraying, mathematical models are developed in the present paper to predict the particle dynamic behavior in a liquid fuelled HVOF thermal spray gun. The particle transport equations are coupled with the three-dimensional, chemically reacting, turbulent gas flow, and solved in a Lagrangian manner. The melting and solidification within the particles as a result of heat exchange with the surrounding gas flow is solved numerically. The in-flight characteristics of WC–Co particles are studied and the effects of carrier gas parameters on particle behavior are examined. The results demonstrate that WC–Co particles smaller than 5 μm in diameter undergo melting and solidification prior to impact while most particles never reach liquid state during the HVOF thermal spraying. The flow rate of carrier gas has considerable influence on particle dynamics as well as deposition on substrate. At higher flow rate the powder particles are redirected further away from the substrate center, while smaller flow rate results in better heating, higher impact velocity and deposition closer to the substrate center.     

Tailoring morphological and interfacial properties of diatom silica microparticles for drug delivery applications

Diatomaceous earth (DE), naturally available silica, originated from fossilized diatoms has been explored for use in drug delivery applications as a potential substitute for synthetic silica materials. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of particle size, morphology and surface modifications of diatom silica microparticles on their drug release properties. Raw DE materials was purified and prepared to obtain high purity DE silica porous particles with different size and morphologies. Comparative scanning electron microscope and particle characterization confirmed their particle size including irregularly shaped silica particles (size 0.1–1 μm, classified as “fine”), mixed fractions (size 1–10 μm, classified as “mixture”) and pure, unbroken DE structures (size 10–15 μm, classified as “entire”). Surface modification of DE with silanes and phosphonic acids was performed using standard silanization and phosphonation process to obtain surface with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. Water insoluble (indomethacin) and water soluble (gentamicin) drugs were loaded in DE particles to study their drug release performances. In vitro drug release studies were performed over 1–4 weeks, to examine the impact of the particle size and hydrophilic/hydrophobic functional groups. The release studies showed a biphasic pattern, comprising an initial burst release for 6 h, followed by near-zero order sustained release. This study demonstrates the potential of silica DE particles as a natural carrier for water soluble and insoluble drugs with release controlled by their morphological and interfacial properties.     

Particle size dependent Ag precipitation at different temperature and the resultant oxidation behavior of Cu-5Ag powders

Ag precipitation and the resultant oxidation behavior of Cu-5wt.%Ag powder of various particle sizes were investigated. During low-temperature aging (250 ℃), Ag precipitation along grain boundaries (GBs) in particle surface is closely dependent on particle size. The depth of Ag precipitation-free area (Ag-PFA) are 0 μm, 1.17 μm and 2.78 μm for S, M and L samples, respectively. While for high-temperature aging (550 ℃), the Ag precipitation was independent on particle size. This is ascribed to that Ag diffusion in particles at low temperature is dominated by both surface diffusion and GB diffusion, while at the higher temperature, the volume diffusion also becomes dominant. The formation of a continuous 3D-Ag network along GBs in particle surface can significantly improve the oxidation resistance of powders.